1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a unitized floor panel and a method of laying the same on a sub-floor, and more particularly to a unitized floor panel which comprises a plurality of unattached wooden tiles assembled in generally abutting relation and which are carried and protected by an easily removeable sheet which is adhered to the upper surface of the tiles.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
In recent years the use of parquet flooring and similar wooden tile arrangements has substantially increased. The parquet floors are assembled in various ways. One method comprises assembling a plurality of wooden slats into small tiles which are held together by wires, splines, or webbing positioned along their bottom surfaces. These connecting members are placed on the bottoms of the tiles so that they will not be seen when the floor is installed. These subpanels have been assembled into larger arrangements either by connecting them mechanically, e.g. tongue and groove or spline joint, or by covering a number of slats by a sheet of paper which is adhered to the top surface of the assembly. In the latter arrangements, the adhesive used must be soluble so that after the floor panel has been installed and the mastic used to secure the floor panel to the subfloor has been partially cured the paper cover sheet can be removed from the installed panels by wetting the paper. After the paper is removed, it is then necessary to sand the floor and apply the desired stains, sealers, coatings and wax to finish the same. Only unfinished wooden panels have been formed in accordance with this method. No carrier and protective sheet has been utilized to hold the panels together as a fully prefinished tile assembly, and none has been used which is easily stripped from the upper surface of the tiles.
A second method of assembling individual tiles into a panel comprises adhering a foam backing sheet to the bottom of tiles which are joined by a tongue and groove connection. The bottom of the foam backing is then covered with spots of adhesive onto which a release paper layer is attached. Prior to use, the paper layer is stripped from the foam backing and the adhesive on the bottom of the foam secures the assembly to a floor.
A third method of forming an assembly of tiles has been used which comprises placing a hot melt adhesive on the underside of the panels at the joints where the tiles abut one another to form a unitized panel. No protective or carrying sheet is used with such an assembly of tiles.
A number of patents disclose various other ways of holding a plurality of tiles together.
LENZLINGER, Swiss Pat. No. 219,072, discloses parquet flooring material 1 held together by cover 2 adhered to the upper surface of the parquet material. The cover layer is fabric or woven material connected to the parquet by an adhesive which is removed only after the adhesive on the sub-floor into which the parquet is placed has hardened and the floor is in its finished state.
GUILLAUME, French Pat. No. 1,041,259, discloses wooden flooring having a layer of mastic and reinforced latex glue on its underside for holding a plurality of panels together. An upper layer of paper is adhered to the upper surface of the wooden flooring by means of sticky paper or tape placed about the edges of the cover sheet. The cover sheet is not adhered to the wooden panels.
KRAUS, German Pat. No. 2,126,192, discloses means for applying a protective covering to steps, walls and flooring which comprises a strippable paper pre-impregnated with adhesive.
MONK, British Pat. No. 787,169, discloses a wooden floor held together along its top surface by a tough paper sheet. The tough paper sheet is secured to the wood by a water-sensitive adhesive and is removed by moistening the paper prior to stripping it from the floor.
BOSCO, U.S. Pat. No. 3,808,032, discloses a unitary panel comprised of a plurality of tiles. The integral panel is formed by bonding the individual tiles by suitable fastening means.
STOUT, U.S. Pat. No. 3,077,059, discloses a brick veneer panel having a conventional webbing along its rear surface. A plurality of brick slabs are attached to the panel and separated by spaces adapted to receive grout. Protective sheets are utilized as covers for the outer surfaces for each of the brick slabs and are moved only after the grout has been placed in the spaces and has dried.
STRUBING, U.S. Pat. No. 3,535,839, discloses structure for attaching a plurality of sealed tiles on their undersides. The tiles are attached by a plurality of flexible tapes or strips formed from paper, plastic or other material.
HETTICH, U.S. Pat. No. 3,980,053, discloses a finished parquet having an elastic foundation on the underside of the attached parquet elements.
ALEXANDER, U.S. Pat. No. 602,691, discloses tiling structure for embedding a plurality of small tiles into cement or other binding material. The tiling includes a sheet covering the tile disks with an adhesive substance. The sheet is removed after the individual tiles are firmly set into cement.
BUTLER, U.S. Pat. No. 2,020,455, discloses a tile assembly which can be placed on a floor or wall as a unit rather than as individual tiles. A removeable cover is provided for holding the tile assembly together and is separated from the tiles once they have been set into cement on a wall, ceiling or other building area.
HARSHBERGER, U.S. Pat. No. 1,994,644, discloses a plurality of plastic blocks set onto a backing or webbing formed of flexible or ridged mesh. A flat adhesive covering is placed over the outer surface of the blocks until binding material or grout is placed between the blocks and has set.
GREENBERG, U.S. Pat. No. 3,589,507, discloses a kit for putting mirrors and similar plates onto walls. This kit includes removeable indicia positioned upon the front surface of the panels so that a worker will see the proper position in which the individual plates should be placed.
None of these prior art arrangements, however, discloses a unitized floor panel which has a layer of pressure sensitive adhesive material covering the upper surface of a plurality of unattached wooden tiles and a flexible, removeable support and protective sheet which covers the adhesive and which is stripped together with the adhesive from the floor panel. Nor do any disclose means for controlling the cure rate of adhesive on the sub-floor onto which the panels are placed.